Floor oiler and cleaner apparatus



United States Patent O FLOOR OILER AND CLEANER APPARATUS crema Osaka, Riverside, Calif.

Application August 24, 1953, Serial No. 375,876 2 Claims. (Cl. 15-131) This invention relates generally to household equipment designed for the maintenance. of floors in a desirable condition and is directed particularly to improvements in floor Oilers and cleaners.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide an oiler and cleaner apparatus by means of which oil or liquid wax can be readily applied to a floor and spread evenly and smoothly thereover preparatory tO polishing or finishing.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the character stated wherein the oil or wax carrying structure is designed to have an applicator mop attached thereto or a polishing cloth or mop, whereby the same apparatus can be used to apply the oil or wax and to then wipe up or polish the oiled or waxed surface.

Still another object of the invention is to provide in one compact unit, a housing or box structure having an operating handle attached thereto, together with a valve controlled receptacle within the unit and a removable mop onto which the oil or wax can be discharged from the valved receptacle for distribution over a floor surface and wherein said Oil or wax receptacle can be closed and the oil or wax applicator mop removed and replaced by a polishing mop so that the receptacle and box weight can be employed for maintaining the proper pressure of the polishing mop on the floor surface for the performance of the finishing or polishing operation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description of the same proceeds and the invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part of the specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described since obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a view in front elevation of the apparatus of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the structure taken from front to rear substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 3 3 of Figure 2 with portions of the interior units broken away.

Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the line 4 4 of Figure 3.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing numeral generally designates the housing for the present apparatus which is in the form of a box or hollow structure having the front and back Walls 12 and 14, the end walls 16 and the top wall 18. The underside of the housing does not have a permanent or fixed wall but is closed by a removable structure hereinafter described and secured at an elevation above the bottom side or lower open side of the housing is a horizontal partition or oor 20 which is secured in place in any suitable manner, the means here shown comprising two upstanding ears or lugs 22 at the 2,718,652 Patented Sept. 27, 1955 ice opposite ends of the floor, which are disposed against the inner faces of the end walls 16 and secured thereto by the screws 24.

The back wall 14 is provided in the bottom edge with the opening 25 and disposed in the plane of this opening is a slot 26 which is formed along the inner side of each side wall 16 and across the inner side of the front wall 12 and is formed by the spaced upper and lower strips 27 as shown in lFigures 2 and 5.

Slidably and removably positioned beneath the partition or oor 20, in slightly spaced relation therewith as shown in Figures 2 and 3, is an applicator which is generally designated 28. This applicator comprises a flat top plate -29 having a plurality of openings 30 therethrough which are connected by slotsor channels 31.

Secured to the underside of the plate 30 is a fabric sheetl 32 which covers the openings 30 and which carries on its underside the strands of material 33 which function in the nature of a brush of soft character and which hang down below the edge of the opening for the housing.

The numeral 34 generally designates a receptacle which is positioned within the housing and is supported upon the top of the partition or floor, in a suitable manner as, for example, by supporting brackets 35 which maintain the bottom wall 36 of the receptacle spaced slightly above the floor 20. This bottom wall is provided with a suitable discharge opening 37 and the top of the receptacle is provided with a suitable filling opening which is closed by the removable cap 38.

Directly below and aligned with the receptacle opening 37 is a correspondingly shaped opening 39 formed in the partition or floor 20 and this opening 39 is bordered by a gasket 40 which is set into the top of the floor or partition 20.

Disposed transversely of the receptacle 34 and fitted in the space 34a is a sliding valve plate 41 which extends transversely of the receptacle and has at its opposite sides the upstanding flanges 42 which closely embrace the side walls of the receptacle.

The valve plate 41 has an opening 43 which is designed in one position of the valve plate tO be brought into register with the openings 37 and 39 to permit fluid to be discharged from the receptacle 34 downwardly onto the top of the mop plate 29. It will be seen, upon reference to Figure 3, that the opening 43 in valve plate 41 is in regis try with the openings 37 and 39.

It will also be seen that the valve plate has contact with the gasket 40 so that leakage of the uid onto the top surface of the oor or partition 20 is prevented.

In order to facilitate the shifting of the valve plate there is provided an operating lever which is generally designated 44. This lever is generally of U shape, having the spaced side legs 45 and the rounded end or loop 46 and as is shown the legs 45 straddle the receptacle 34, extending downwardly on opposite sides thereof and across the outer sides of the flanges 42 of the valve plate.

Each of the flanges 42 of the valve plate carries two outwardly extending spaced ears 47 and each pair of ears has the free end of a leg 45 of the lever 44 loosely engaged therebetween.

The closed end of the lever extends upwardly through an opening 48 formed in the top wall 18 of the housing and projects a substantial distance above such top wall and extending transversely across the lever between the legs 45 is a hinge element 49 which pivotally couples the lever with the top wall so that the lever can be swung for the purpose of moving the free ends of the legs 45 in a desired direction to shift the valve plate either to closed position or to open position.

The Oil or wax applicator mop 28 is designed to be removed from working position through the opening 25 as will be readily apparent, either for cleaning or for reslightly greater than. the back wall 1.4. and is, of a widthy approximately equal to the width of. this wall and this.- gate or door is slidably extended downwardly through ak transverse slot or opening 51V in the top wall, in close proximity to the back wall 14, and through a corresponding slot or opening 52 in the partition or` oor 20 so as to extend across the openingfZS as. shown in Figure 2 and across.

the adjacent edge of'the mop plate 29 to effectively hold the latter in place.

In order to facilitate the raising ofthe gate a. ange 53 isprovided upon. its top edge as shown or any other suitable means may be employed for shifting the gate toy opened position.

To facilitate the movement of the. apparatus over the oor, there i`s provided a. handle shaft 54 which extends downwardly through an openingSS in the top wall 18y and is` removably secured in a. socket 56 mounted upon the topj of the partition or floor 20` The top end of,l the shaft 54 is preferably provdedwith a hand grip 57 or other suitable means by which the shaft can be securedl in the hand so as. to slide the apparatus over a oor surface.

From the foregoing it will be seen that there is provided a relatively simple oiler and. cleaner apparatus by means ofy which floor wax or oil can be conveniently applied to a 'o'or surface by first shiftingrthe control lever 44 in the desired direction to open thevalve whereby to permit the desired amount oflquid wax or oil to pass; downwardly onto the underlying mop plate 29 from which it willx ow through the openings, 30 and` be. absorbed by the. sheet of material 32 and the strands 33. By this means the oil or wax can be readily spread or smoothed over the floor surface.

After the completion of the spreading operation, the gate or door 50 can be opened and the applicator., mop removed' and replaced with: another mopof a suitable typefwhich may then be used to wipe up excess oil or to polish the surface to which polishing. wax has been applied'.

Il claim:4

1. An oil and wax applicator comprising a casing having an open under side, an applicator mop mounted in the casing adjacent to said lower side, said mop including an absorbent portion extending outside of the casing through the open side for wiping contact with the floor, a receptacle in the casing above the mop, means for discharging liquid from the receptacle onto the mop, a handle attached to the casing to facilitate moving the applicator over a floor, said receptacle being supported on. a horizontal partition wall in slightly spaced relation thereto and having an outlet opening in registry with a like opening inthe' partition,y said means comprising an apertured valve plate fitting snugly in the space between the bottom of the receptacle and said partition wall and slidable into opened and closed position with respect to said outlet and partition wall openings, wings upstanding from said valve plate at opposite sides of the receptacle, a valve plate actuating means comprising an, inverted substantially U-shaped lever having its l'eg portions straddled. over the receptacle andy each loosely connected to one of said' wings to effect reversed directional movementsV of said valvel plate the lever extending upwardly through an opening in the top of saidl casing, and a hinge connection between the lever and the casing top at an edge of the opening therein.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1,v with other means within said casing. for removably supporting the mop,y transverse aligned slots formed in the top and` partition wall of the casing adjacent an end thereof, saidcasing having an end opening through which the mop may be inserted into or removed from its supported position, anda plate, constituting a gate, slidable through said slots to have its lower edge portion open and close the latter openingwhenever it is raised or lowered for such ptupose.

References Cited in the le of this. patenta UNITED STATES PATENTS 565,950: Withers Aug. 18, 1895 938,735 Wolfgram et al. Nov. 2', 1909 FOREIGN PATENTS 157,617 Switzerland Dec. 16 1932.y 

